Actress Ahn Ha Young, who had landed in hot water over allegations surrounding her great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea, will not appear in the next season of the Netflix series The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call.
The decision came after the actress issued an apology about the controversy last month, sharing that she had only partially known about her great-grandfather's life and is ashamed of speaking about him as a source of family pride.
"Respecting the actor's position, Ha Young will not appear in the next season of 'The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call,'" Netflix said on Tuesday, September 1.
Ahn Ha-young in 'The Trauma Code'
In the first season, the Our Sticky Love actress appeared as Cheon Jang-mi, a veteran nurse working o the hospital's severe trauma team.
Her character was one of the three main figures, including Baek Gang-hyeok, played by Ju Ji-hoon and Yang Jae-won, portrayed by Choo Young-woo.
Last month, Ha-young appeared in an episode of the KBS talk show Problem Child in House last month, where she mentioned how her great-grandmother studied Western medicine in Japan, revealing that four generations of her family practised medicine.
According to historical records, her great-grandfather was Ahn Sang-ho, a doctor who was active during the Japanese colonial period.
Historical records subsequently confirmed that Ahn Sang-ho served as a council member of the Daejeong Friendship Association, an organisation founded in 1916 whose leadership included figures associated with Japan's colonial government.
Amid public backlash, Ahn Ha-young addressed the controversy in a handwritten apology shared on social media on August 12.
She said her understanding of her great-grandfather’s life had been limited to accounts passed down within her family, which had led her to speak about him on several occasions without fully understanding his historical background or the implications of her remarks.
On the other hand, Ha-young is set to wrap filming for SBS' new drama The Long Shot Trial on September 3.
